The Block Club Chicago Podcast

The “mother of synchronized swimming” was once an instructor at Wilbur Wright College. The college’s longtime synchro club is trying to rebuild after losing members during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Host …

For 71 years, piping plovers were missing from Cook County shores. Monty and Rose changed that in 2019, and one organization is working hard to ensure future generations return to Montrose Beach. 

Hos…

WGN-TV Weather Producer Bill Snyder talks about the historic July 15th tornado outbreak, and why more days like it are likely on the way. 

Host - Jon Hansen

Guest - Bill Snyder

Want to donate to our n…

The former chief financial officer at Loretto Hospital who was at the center of a COVID vaccine scandal in the early days of the pandemic has been charged with defrauding the safety net hospital out …

Another year of Nascar in the books, but the question remains -- is it worth it? Melody Mercado with a recap of what went down Nascar weekend, and how some neighbors, businesses, and community leader…

Maggie Shea grew up sailing with her family on Lake Michigan on her grandfather’s boat WINDANCER, and quickly fell in love with being on the water and competing. Now, she's getting to represent the U…

The Silver Room Block Party and Hyde Park Summer Fest grew from neighborhood parties into popular, community-focused festivals. But the fests got too expensive for organizers, and some wonder if thes…

So many bikes litter the lake that the Fire Department, the rideshare company and a group of volunteers dubbed the Divvy Fishers Society can barely keep up.

Host - Jon Hansen

Reporter - Mack Leiderman

R…

Tamar Manasseh, founder of Mothers Against Senseless Killing, is considering disbanding the group, which keeps watch over Englewood blocks, after she and fellow organizers were shot at and her pleas …

Eighteen innings of baseball over nine hours in 90-plus-degree weather, with a packed train ride in between? It takes guts, a game plan, at least a few hot dogs and a high tolerance for booze and los…

The so-called “Chicago accent” is one of the city’s greatest exports, alongside Italian beef, deep-dish pizza and up-and-coming sketch comedians.

But most associate a particular kind of sound to the a…

DIRKSEN FEDERAL COURTHOUSE — Former Ald. Ed Burke, the longest-serving alderman in Chicago history, was sentenced to two years in prison Monday, six months after he was convicted of racketeering and …

When Sophia Catania learned that there would be a massive invasion of cicadas in the Chicago area, she was thrilled. 

That’s because she turns cicadas into jewelry. 

In 2020, Catania began taking walks…

An ordinance establishing a noise-sensitive zone around a Downtown woman’s clinic passed City Council Wednesday, ending an eight-month battle spearheaded by Ald. Bill Conway (34th).

Host- Jon Hansen

Re…

Six years ago, a small and scrappy group of journalists refused to give up on neighborhood news, and Block Club Chicago was born. But our 6th birthday is not just a celebration of Block Club — it’sal…

Host - Jon Hansen

Reporter - Mack Liederman

A group of alderpeople want the state to pump the brakes on plans to redesign DuSable Lake Shore Drive and instead find ways to prioritize public transit on …

The nation’s first Black tennis club started on privately owned land needs help repairing its tennis courts, and club members are looking to the public for support. The Chicago Prairie Tennis Club, 3…

For over 120 years, the battle over fans, space and prestige in Chicago — and in the history books — has simmered between the North Side and South Side teams and their supporters. Here’s how it happe…

The backdrop of Andersonville’s Clark Street business corridor may have evolved over the decades, but one anchor on the street has remained steadfast: an unsuspecting neighborhood bar with a large “p…

The city has 77 community areas -- but no officially recognized neighborhoods. A Chicago Neighborhood Project survey asked residents to define where they live. Project leader Professor Emily Talen jo…